Voice of the Blind

Collection of news and informations of and for the blind (Period – From 1st February to 15th February 2017 )

Table of Content

Voice of the Blind – 38th issue ( Part 1 )

1. Editorial

We at voice of the blind wish health and good will for all our readers and dedicate the 38th issue of the bulletin to them.

This issue has a blend of a large number of news, announcements, informations and job opening updates that suit every plate.

It covers the T20 Blind cricket cup, news and highlights of right to persons with disability act 2016, updates on advocacy initiatives of NFB Karnataka and many useful informations.

We urge our readers to help as ever in spreading a word and encourage the others like themselves to subscribe, read and contribute this bulletin.

We hope and trust that our readers will make the bulletin more healthy and interesting by their valuable insights.
Happy reading

With best compliments
Editor

31. Training on soft skills (02/08/2017)

Snehadeep Trust for the Disabled, an NGO, will conduct a four-month free training course on soft skills, basic computer skills and job orientation from February 15. Those who are physically and visually challenged and/or are hearing impaired canapply. They must be aged between 18 and 35. For more details, send an email to snehadeeptrust@gmail.com or call 080-25801069 / 99720 77673.

32. BCCI should adopt players with disabilities also: Coach (02/09/2017)

Ludhiana: The BCCI may have won accolades for organising IPLs and gained a reputation for being the richest cricket board in the world, but it turns out to be indifferent when it comes to adopt the visually and hearing impaired and the physically challenged as they fail to organise tournaments for them.

National coach of the cricket team of the deaf, Nitendra Singh, said it was the case of “chirag tale andhera” (darkness below the lamp). He said: “The BCCI may be the richest of the cricket boards in the world, but unlike the boards of other countries, it has been keeping away from adopting, supporting and organising tournaments for people with disabilities.”

He said he has been teaching cricket to the hearing impaired children for the past 20 years. “These children have much higher potential than normal children in sports as they learn very fast because they don’t get distracted. They learn everything with total concentration. I have developed a special sign language to teach them,” he said.

He said while the BCCI gives all support and facilities to normal U-12 children and make them stay in four-star hotels, there was hardly any support for the persons with disabilities. “While the government has entrusted the BCCI with the responsibility to take care of cricket as a sport, it is their responsibility to adopt the physically challenged, hearing or visually impaired players as well,” he said. It is ironical that the boards of other countries like Australia, New Zealand, England, and even Pakistan and Afghanistan were supporting such players, but the richest cricket board in the world was indifferent to them.

He said Punjab’s children were genetically blessed in terms of sports, so the hearing impaired children from Punjab could do wonders in cricket. He said the state must make efforts in propelling them into the game.

Not just hearing impaired boys, girls, too, need to come up and play the sport, he felt. For this, he was going to organise a 21-day national camp for them in Gujarat.

33. Manipal to host Asia Pacific Chess for Visually Challenged (02/10/2017)

The International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) Asia Pacific Chess Championship 2017 for the Visually Challenged will be organised by the All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB), under the aegis of IBCA and All India Chess Federation, at the Manipal University here from March 22 to 31.

Addressing press persons here on Thursday, H.S. Ballal, Pro Chancellor of Manipal University, said that after the successful conduct of the 11th Individual Chess Championships for the Visually Challenged in Goa and 14th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, the IBCA unanimously awarded the conduct of the Second Asia Pacific Chess Championship to India.

Manipal University had the honour to play host to this event which is being conducted for the second time since its inception in 1951, in India.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is expected to inaugurate the event and Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports, PramodMadhwaraj will be present.

The championship will be part of the diamond jubilee celebrations of Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT), he said. The Adani Group was co-sponsoring the event, Mr. Ballal said.

RajgopalShenoy, Associate Dean of Kasturba Medical College, said that the championship was one of the biggest international chess events for persons with visual disabilities.

National champions and top players will be representing the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

“The championship will be webcast live and a Radio Chess app has been designed to receive live commentary on internet radio as well,” he said.

34.MEET FOR PERSONS WITH MULTIPLE DISABILITIES HELD ( 02/10/2017)

A two-day workshop on “Holistic Management for Persons with Multiple Disabilities” was held here on Monday and Tuesday.
The workshop was jointly organised by the city-based National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities (NIEPMD) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Vocational Rehabilitation Centre for Handicapped (VRCH) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The programme was inaugurated on the first day by Social Security and Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) Department Secretary Niten Chandra and Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA) Director MahendraMallick in the presence of VRCH Assistant Director (Employment) Ram Kishor Sharma and first audiologist of Odisha MahendraSaraf.

During the two-day workshop, features and utilities of National Career Service portal, various scientific sessions on occupational therapy, speech and hearing therapy, alternative and augmentative communication, vocational training programmes for Persons with Multiple Disabilities and other holistic approaches were discussed.
On the second day of the workshop and valedictory session, State Commissioner for PwDsDrMinatiBehera was the chief guest and Associate Professor-NIEPMD, Chennai Nachiketa Rout and Ram Kishor Sharma were the other guests. Sharma offered a vote of thanks and Siba Prasad Sahoo coordinated the workshop.

35.Boost for Braille: Mr. Kaul receives the Louis Braille Award (02/10/2017)

As you may recall, in the year 2012, our Secretary General Mr. J.L. Kaul was honoured with the Louis Braille Medal” by the World Blind Union for his signal contribution to the promotion of Braille at the global level. The year 2017 began with Mr. Kaul receiving another honour for his lifelong dedication and commitment to the Braille promotion, this time from a premier organization from Gujarat.

PragyaChakshuSevaKunj is a grass-roots organization in Gujarat started by a visually impaired couple—Smt. Muktaben and Sh. Pankaj Dagali. The organization has done cutting edge work for the blind impacting the lives of a large number of visually impaired in Gujarat. On 29th January, 2017, this organization honoured Mr. Kaul with the Louis Braille Award, consisting of a citation and a sum of Rs.100000.00 (Rupees one lakh only) for his nearly fifty years of hard work and tireless efforts towards the promotion of Braille in the country and at the global level. While it is a befitting start of a year for a man who has dedicated his entire life to the cause of the visually impaired facing untold hardships and a man who enters his fiftieth year of his work for the visually impaired and seventy-fifth year of his life, the award would help to once again validate the primacy and relevance of Braille, something which is questioned at times these days.

36. The blind will lead this rally in Ahmedabad (11/2/2017)

In Ahmedabad, a unique event will be held where the blind will guide drivers behind the wheels while driving through the city on 12 February.

This is the 21st edition of the Round Table Car Rally organized by Round Table International and the Blind People’s Association. The aim is to raise funds to build a school at Naaz village near Ahmadabad.

The event attracts over 100 participants every year and aims to change the way people look at disabilities like blindness.
The drivers are highly skilled Braille readers and the idea is to create an environment where people communicate with each other. The challenge will need coordination of time , speed and distance measured by experts at each major junction.

37. Visually challenged candidate campaigns for safer footpaths in Mumbai (15/2/2017)

Vinod Argileisa visually challenged candidate representing the Maharashtra NaNavnirmanSena in the upcoming municipal elections in Mumbai.
This is the first time that Argile is fighting the elections. He aims to improve the conditions of the footparths to make them safer for people with disabilities.

Argile is confident that he will be elected and given a chance to work for the development of his ward.

He is fighting against a sitting corporator from the congress. JaveyJuneja and his ward number is 231.
He is busy carrying out door to door campaigns for support.

38. Disability rights activist petitions PM to make railways accessible (13/2/2017)

Viral Modi is famous as a motivational speaker, disability rights activist, writer and winner of the Miss Wheelchair India title in 2014.

She loves to travel but says Indian Railways are not designed to be wheelchair accessible. She wants prime Minister Modi and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to fix this problem.

Viral says she has been sexually harassed by porters a number of times while being helped into trains. She also says the toilets are not accessible and she is forced to wear diapers.

She says the government must make train travel accessible. She wrote to the PM before the budget but was told her request had been sent to another ministry.

She has now started a petition on change.org asking people to sign if it they support her. So far nearly 60,000 people have signed the petition.

39. Visually impaired youth display artwork at Chennai institute (15/2/2017)

Around 100 visually challenged individuals, mostly students, showed their pencil sketches, water colour works and crayon drawing at `youth fest 2017’

This is a festival which has been organized by the Madras Institute of Technology for three years.

The festival has many events like memory games, quizzes and poetry writing competitions for those with visual impairments.

The organizers also hold an annual awards event to recognize visually impaired achievers. This year, they have picked five state rank holders in the class 12-board exams to receive the award.

40. India lift second successive Blind T20 World Cup by beating Pakistan (02/13/2017)

BENGALURU: The Indian blind cricket team successfully defended its Twenty20 World Cup title here today, defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in the final for the second successive edition.
With eight wins from nine matches, India had gone into the final as favourites and lived up to it with a comprehensive victory. For Pakistan though, it was their first loss in the tournament. The two teams had clashed in the 2012 edition final as well with India emerging triumphant.
The victory was also a sweet revenge for the Indians, who had lost to Pakistan in the league stage of the current edition.
Batting first, Pakistan made 197/9 but India chased down the target in 18 overs without much of a fuss, losing just one wicket in the process.
Man of the match Prakash Jayaramaiah stood out with a splendid unbeaten 99-run knock, while Ajay Kumar Reddy was the only man to be dismissed for 43. Reddy was run out.
Man of the series Badar Munir was the top-scorer for Pakistan with a 570-run effort. Ketan Patel and Jaffar Iqbal were the pick of Indian bowlers, grabbing two wickets each after conceding 29 and 33 runs respectively.

41. Text-to-speech software is used to read digital content (02/13/2017)

eSpeak text-to-speech (TTS) software is one that works well for the visually challenged speaking many Indian languages, including Malayalam. Those who now largely prefer it to its other variants for Malayalam speeches feel that the State government should intervene to improve this light-weight and open source system that functions on Linux, Windows, and Android platforms.
TTS software is used by the visually challenged to read digital content on computers and smart phones. The most popular is the software recently developed by Jonathan Duddington. Apart from English, the software has around 60 languages. eSpeak enables the visually impaired to read online books, journals and newspapers. eSpeak, however, is not without limitations when applied to Malayalam.
“As this software is developed by an Englishman, the Malayalam speech, like many other non-English speeches of this software, has many shortcomings in terms of pronunciation and tone,” said P.C. Thahir, Associate Professor of English at the Government College of Engineering, Kannur.
Instead of developing local variants of the Malayalam TTS software, eSpeak TTS has to be improved, he said, adding that several non-English speeches of this software have been improved as a result of the positive interference of computer programmers of the languages concerned.

Funds sought
The Kerala Federation of the Blind (KFB) wants the State government to release funds for hiring services of computer programmers to make Malayalam speech of eSpeak more intelligible.
“eSpeak is a wonderful TTS engine because of its size, which is less than 2 MB, and its ease of use,” said K. Sathyaseelan, teacher at the Government School for the Blind, Kasaragod, who is also State committee member of the KFB. Mr. Sathyaseelan, who is also visually challenged, said he had communicated with Mr. Duddington on the deficiencies in pronunciation of Malayalam speech. Mr. Duddington, he said, had responded that only native programmers well-versed in Malayalam phonics system could correct it.
The KFB functionaries say that if eSpeak engine is improved, visually challenged people will be able to read any book written in Malayalam since they will have access to the e-copy of the same. It will also help visually impaired students read textbooks written in Malayalam independently by providing them with e-versions. It is a governmental responsibility as per the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995, they add.
The Kerala Federation of the Blind is seeking govt. funds for hiring computer programmers to make Malayalam speech of eSpeak more intelligible.

42. Cricketers bring home T20 World Cup for Blind, want more support (02/13/2017)

BENGALURU : Viewing a game of cricket for visually impaired can be a real treat, as was seen at the T20 World Cup for the Blind final here on Sunday. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium saw about 15,000 spectators turning up for the clash between India and Pakistan.
At the end of the day, they left a happy lot as India won by nine wickets to clinch their second consecutive T20 title, and also their fourth world crown. Opening batsman Prakasha J (99 not out) and captain Ajay Kumar Reddy (43) led India to the triumph.
One may tend to think that visually challenged cricketers may not be that fast. But there appeared to be hardly any difference from a game of regular cricket. Despite having partial or no vision, the batsmen tried their shots — even the switch-hit and the Dilscoop — thus providing some thrilling moments.

Since the ball pitches twice before reaching the batsman, most of the strokes were sweeps, but there were occasions when the ball was lofted for a boundary or a six. It was amazing to see the batsmen getting that much lift when the delivery is so close to the ground.
While the batsmen provided entertainment, the fielding was no less exciting. They ran and dived for the ball, just like any fielder. There were even some acrobatic attempts near the ropes. “We are happy to have won the title on home ground. We had lost to Pakistan in the league stage but on Sunday, we focused on forging partnerships,” said Prakasha.

“The final was not a big challenge, because 198 was achievable. We would have fielded had we won the toss. Luckily, Pakistan won the toss and batted, and that turned out to be crucial.”

Associated excitement notwithstanding, organising tournaments is a tough task. Cricket Association for the Blind in India (CABI) president Mahantesh GK said: “These events can be organised only if one has the will, because we face so many problems. Sponsors are difficult to come by, but we manage. Our team is trying our best to make things better for players. We want to reach out to more people, and have more players and tournaments.”

Reddy underscored the need for more support. “Sponsorship is coming in slowly, but the need of the hour is jobs. Three of us work in banks, but many don’t have jobs. Some are from very humble backgrounds. It will be nice if the government helps us.”

43. Blind cricket team feted 02/14/2017

The Indian blind cricket team, which won the T20 World Cup recently, was felicitated by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, Government of Karnataka, here on Monday.

At a function presided over by Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports, Prakasha Jayaramaiah and R. Sunil, the two cricketers from the State who played a winning hand, was honored with cash awards of Rs. 7 lakh each. The duo was promised jobs in the State government.

The minister also replied in the affirmative when asked if the two will be added to the list of around 1000 sportspersons the government will be finalising for sponsorship from corporate houses as part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility).
“I consider it our duty to recognise and encourage differently-abled sportspersons from the state,” said Madhwaraj. “These cricketers are inspirations to all physically-challenged sportspersons across the country. It is our endeavor to promote and encourage such athletes and paralympians.”

Cricket Association for the Blind in India president G.K. Mahantesh requested the minister to allot around 15 acres of land to build practice facilities and a “world-class stadium for the visually-impaired and differently-abled” and sanction Rs. 1 crore to help cover the costs of the recently-concluded World Cup.
The Association, which has spent nearly Rs. 8 crore for the conduct of the tournament has thus far been able to recover around 60%, Mahantesh pointed out.

44. BCCI lauds Indian team for winning T20 World Cup for Blind, 02/14/2017

The Indian Team proudly pose after their victory against Pakistan in the second T20 World Cup Cricket for the Blind at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. PHOTO: G. P. Sampath KumarG_P_Sampath Kumar

India registered a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Pakistan in the final held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium
The BCCI has congratulated the Indian cricket team for winning the Twenty20 World Cup for the Blind in Bengaluru.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would like to congratulate the Indian Cricket Team for successfully defending the Blind T20 World Cup title,” the Board said in a statement.
India registered a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Pakistan in the final held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
Having won eight of the nine matches, hosts India were the tournament favorites and they lived to their top billing.
Needing 198 runs to clinch the title, India chased down the target without much trouble.
Man of the Match Prakash Jayaramaiah struck 99 and Ajay Kumar Reddy scored 43 as the two shared an opening stand of over 100 runs before Kumar was run out. Earlier, Ketan Patel and Jaffer Iqbal picked two wickets each.
The two teams had clashed in the inaugural edition in 2012 as well with India emerging victorious.

45. Cricket amidst encounters (02/14/2017)

India’s recent mixed signals over Pakistan may have left a window open for dialogue once the elections in UP are over. Months after Pakistani film stars with valid work visas were hounded out, its visually-impaired citizens have been accorded all due courtesies for a cricket tournament. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations has contributed to the Karachi Literary Festival even as encounters and curfew continue in Kashmir. After a long time, New Delhi is witnessing an absence of deliberately whipped-up anger. India had to agree to World Bank-mediated talks with Pakistan on the Indus Waters Treaty. In June, the two premiers will be at a summit in St Petersburg that will welcome India and Pakistan as new members of a regional organisation led by China and Russia.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently engaged in a must-win battle in UP and any talk of a rapprochement with Pakistan must be firmly put on hold till the last vote is cast. Having pointedly denied even a single ticket to Muslims in UP, it would not do for Mr. Modi to be seen as supping with the devil. But, it needs to be noted the anti-Pakistan rhetoric has been considerably muted during his election stumping speeches so far.
As for the US, another interested party in the dispute, no one is quite sure about Donald Trump’s predilection, should he turn his attention to this side of the globe. American think-tanks are advocating a tougher line against Pakistan, including consequences for uncooperative behavior. As previous US Presidents of all ideological shades have discovered, this is easier said than done. This may be the right time, once the UP elections are over, for leaders of both countries to discover the merits of a do-it-yourself approach. India has already been given a seat on a new regional format for Afghanistan. As most of its members are part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, its St Petersburg summit in June may provide the right setting amidst neighbors who would be genuinely interested in relative peace in the region as an end objective. The Trump embrace is best avoided.

Announcement

Intensive Training Course for Visually Impaired Women at AICB Delhi

All India Confederation of the Blind Delhi has been conducting Intensive training courses for the benefit of visually impaired girls for last several years under the sponsorship of Marga Schulze Foundation/CBM (Germany). The participants are imparted intensive practical training and theoretical instructions in home management, basic stitching, mobility, computer applications, self-defence techniques and leadership skills.

This year the course shall commence from 22nd May to 30th June. Graduate and post graduate girls in the age group of 18-35 shall be given preference. Selected candidates shall get free board, lodging and training facilities. The best ten or more participants shall also be provided best quality laptops with screen readers on behalf of Marga Schulze Foundation/CBM. Preference shall be given to participants from other states. The candidates shall also receive Rs. 800/- per month on account of pocket money. The participants shall also receive train fare at concessional rate by AC 3 tier. Those who are interested should contact AICB office or AICB website www.aicb.org.in and should download application form by clicking link ‘upcoming events’. Their application forms duly filled and signed should reach AICB office latest by 31st March, 2017 along with bank draft of Rs. 1000/- in the name of All India Confederation of the Blind. The amount shall be refunded to those participants who will complete the training.

Information

Horizon A3 Scanner by Sparsh Products Dehradun
we are pleased to inform you that Horizon A3 Scanner is now available at Sparsh product Dehradun. Studying the demand for the past many years it was realized that individuals require a scanner which can scan big size books with good resolution image quality and also at high speed. Considering the requirement sparsh products has launched Horizon A3 scanner with motion sensing technology.
It has a 16 megapixel camera which is available only in the high end scanner like Readit Scholar and in no other assistive technology scanner in India.

Features:
Camera: The scanner uses a 16 mega pixel high resolution camera which guarantees images of the best resolution and thus provides best OCR results for A3 size books.
Book placement: The scanner provides a solid plastic table top for the placement of books.
Quality: The scanner is very sturdy and the chances of it’s moving or falling is negligible because:
a) It has rubber pads on the bottom which provides a strong grip.
b) Camera tower is fixed inside the plastic base and is made of aluminum alloy
Speed: Scanning speed of 16 A4 pages in 1 minute (including the page turning, motion sensing and capturing time)
Precision: Motion detection in the software assures that you get a clear and a blur free image every time you scan.
Saving: You can save your scanned book in PDF format and can be opened again for editing and continuation of scanning.
Software: The software has been developed in such a way that a differently abled person can scan the book independently without any difficulty.

Advantages

Speed: Scan big size books in high resolution in quick time.
File: Your whole book gets saved in 1 PDF file.
OCR: You can use any OCR software like Lex, Fine Reader etc for recognition of the book.
Cost: It is highly cost effective as other scanners of such quality are very expensive.
The price of the product is Rs. 40,000/-. Find attached the brochure.
It is exclusively available with Sparsh Products only and please contacts us if anyone wishes to purchase the same. In case of any query or information required please let the sparsh products at Mob: 91-9837088334, Email: info@sparshproducts.com, www.sparshproducts.com

Employment

Recruitment for Ordnance factory, Medak, Telangana
Job title: various technical posts
Total post: 370
Reservation for Blind and Low vision – 3
Last date for apply – 10.03.2017
For more details please visit: www.ofmedak.gov.in

Recruitment for department of expenditure, New Delhi
Job title: Asst. Accounts officers
Total post: 643
Reservation for PwD including Blind and Low vision – As per government rules
Last date for apply – 12.03.2017
For more details please refer: employment news paper dated 182.2017

Team

Fortnight e-bulletin
Collection of news and informations of and for the blind)
Compiled, Edited and circulated by National Federation of the Blind Karnataka
#S-372, Bharathnagar 2nd Phase, Near Karnataka Bank, Magadi Main road, Bangalore-560091
Phone: 080-23484794,
Email ID: nfbkarnataka@gmail.com

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